


Do It One More Time

by sidewinder



Series: Love's Sweet Revenge [5]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance, Same actor different characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidewinder/pseuds/sidewinder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Conclusion to the Love's Sweet Revenge series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do It One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> The following story is written entirely for fun and not for any profit. No attempt is made to supersede or infringe upon the copyrights held by any television or film companies upon which this story is based.

Joxer read the note one last time, as the soft light of dawn crept into the room through the open window. Satisfied it said what needed to be said, he carefully placed it on the pillow, and then gave in to the urge to brush his hand gently, one last time, through Autolycus' tousled hair. The sleeping man didn't stir, but Joxer knew he had to leave soon, or else...

 _Or else what--lose my nerve?_ He was far from sure that he was doing the right thing by leaving, sneaking out on Autolycus the same exact way that the thief had once tried to do to him. It was a situation in which Joxer had never imagined he'd find himself. Now that he had, he was anything but happy about it.

All night he had debated the same questions, over and over: whether to leave or to stay, whether to believe Autolycus' story or not...whether he was overreacting or perfectly justified in feeling the hurt and resentment that consumed his thoughts and weighed down his heart. He wanted desperately to be able to believe Autolycus, and that what had happened had been an honest mistake. But he couldn't look at Auto without seeing him and Jett together...sharing passions and intimate moments that Joxer had wanted to think were his alone to share with his beloved thief.

 _Dammit._ He wiped angrily at the moisture in his eyes, which were sore and burning from his lack of sleep, and no lack of tears. As carefully and quietly as he could, he finished dressing and gathered his things, then headed for the door. His hand paused as he reached for the handle, and he turned back to cast one last look back at Autolycus.

The mixed emotions that tormented him as he did so were enough to make him dizzy. _I **have** to go,_ he told himself, closing his eyes, trying to compose himself. _I can't take this; I have to sort out why this is making me so crazy. If he really loves me, Auto will understand, and we'll be able to work things out._

He had to believe that was true.

Joxer left the room and closed the door quietly behind him, struggling to convince himself this act of leaving wasn't as permanent as it seemed. But he knew he didn't have time to delay any longer. He quickly made his way downstairs and out into the still quiet, sleepy streets of the small village. It was going to be a long day on the road if he wanted to make it to Egio by nightfall.

* * *

Dawn passed into morning into mid-afternoon before Joxer finally slowed his pace, realizing it was past time he take at least a short break. His mind had been so preoccupied all day that he had not been cognizant of his grumbling stomach and his sore feet until both reached near critical condition.

He found a grassy, shady spot off the road and sat down with a weary sigh, shaking off his bag and wondering if he actually had anything left to eat in it. If he'd been thinking clearer this morning he would have tried to pick up something in the village before he left...too late for that now. His mother had packed him off with enough food to last him for a few weeks at the end of his brief recent visit, but he'd consumed most of the tastiest snacks already, and Auto had helped with much of the rest. He found he still had some dried fruits, a little cheese, and half a loaf of bread, and that made for an adequate meal. He ate merely what he needed to sustain himself, having little appetite to really savor his food, or barely taste it at all.

Instead, he kept thinking about what he was heading into--as well as what he'd left behind. _What if Jett's already found Xena and Gabrielle? What if I'm too late when I get there?_ Jett was about a day ahead of him, he figured, based on what Autolycus had said...not counting the fact that Jett could have secured a horse and made his way to Egio at a faster pace than the leisurely one Joxer and Auto had been setting.

Of course, he had no way of knowing for certain that the warrior and the bard would even **be** in Egio for the festival. Considering Joxer hadn't seen either of them in months, they might not even be in the country for all he knew. But what other leads did he have? None. He merely remembered Gabrielle's enthusiastic reports about how wonderful last year's festival had been, and how much she would be looking forward to future ones. And at the very least, Joxer knew Jett seemed to be headed in this same direction. The two of them **definitely** had a few things to settle, regardless of Jett's plans for his friends.

That was what he was heading into...and it still left him the problem of what to do about Autolycus. The anger that had dominated his thoughts and feelings earlier was losing some of its fire, since he'd had some time to recover from shock of it all. In his anger's place, uncertainty and longing were fast to take up residence. Suspicions continued to run through his thoughts: _How could he have not known it wasn't me? Beneath the surface, Jett and I are nothing alike, couldn't he tell? Or is the surface all he cares about, and I've been a fool to think otherwise? Hades, maybe he knew exactly what was going on, and now he's trying to play stupid to cover it up, to make me forgive him._

But then he corrected himself, _No, I should have more faith in Autolycus than that. If he wanted to cover up what had happened, he never would have told me about it in the first place._ The urge to turn around and find him, and to apologize for leaving him behind with only a note, was strong. Despite the heartache he felt, he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he lost Autolycus for good except that it would no doubt be a thousand times worse.

 _Autolycus..._ As much as he tried to push him out of his thoughts, he kept seeing his lover's face in his mind's eye: that smile that always made Joxer's heart ache; the incredible expression on his face at the moment before he came... How many times had Joxer thanked the gods for bringing this man into his life? Wondered how such an apparently rough match somehow managed to work, and to thrive? Until now, at least, he'd thought it was thriving, every day nearly better than the last. But the fear had always been there for him, right from the start. How could he hope to hold on to someone like Autolycus, a man who had sworn off anything resembling love or commitment years ago?

Joxer shook his head, struggling to dismiss the thoughts that were getting him nowhere except more confused. First things first--he had to take care of his brother; his personal affairs and his love life would have to wait until later. He picked up his things and headed off on the road again, knowing he had several more hours of walking ahead of him before reaching Egio.

* * *

Joxer had no idea he was being watched, and that was precisely how the King of Thieves intended it.

From a short distance away, he spied Joxer as the lanky man finished eating, then collected his belongings and started walking once more. The horse Autolycus had "liberated" this morning grunted softly, seemingly impatient to get a move on it as well. But Autolycus waited, wrapped up in his thoughts and uncertainties. He had caught up with Joxer easy enough, but now...now he wasn't sure what he should do next.

As soon as he'd spotted Joxer on the road, he'd nearly tossed all caution aside and run right up to him, to try to apologize one more time for what had happened. But reason had forced him to stop and think, and to realize that was no doubt the worst thing he could do. In his letter, Joxer had specifically asked him **not** to follow. To reveal he was doing precisely that would be violating Joxer's trust in him--a trust Autolycus knew was already damaged severely...perhaps beyond repair.

Joxer had said he needed to go after Jett and resolve this matter alone. Therefore Autolycus would have to let him--as long as Joxer **could** take Jett on by himself. Autolycus would stay back and simply keep an eye on things from a distance, unless it became clear that Joxer needed his help.

But still... _Gods, this is hard._ Even from afar he could see how much Joxer was hurting, and knowing that pain was because of him wasn't helping Autolycus' frame of mind one bit. He just wanted to tell Joxer, "I screwed up. I'm sorry. What more can I say? What can I do to make things right again?" Though inside, he realized Joxer probably didn't know the answer to those questions yet.

He waited until Joxer was almost out of sight before getting back on the horse to follow.

* * *

The sun had set and the stars were glimmering brightly in the sky by the time Joxer made it to the city of Egio. It was nothing more than a moderately large seaside town, which once a year enjoyed a brief moment of celebrity by hosting a five-night festival of the arts. The festival was known and respected throughout the county, as it always provided attendees an exciting mixture of new and old performers and troops, from musicians and poets to dancers and painters. Bards gathered to share stories, discuss ideas and trade scrolls; artists in all recognized fields vied for first place in competitions held throughout every day, in hopes of finding a patron or perhaps a scholarship to one of the finer academies in the land. And in the midst of it all, the simply curious wandered the streets from stage to stage, enjoying a few nights of the best talent Greece had to offer.

It was with a still heavy heart and a nearly exhausted body that Joxer entered Egio, the sounds of music and laughter all around him only dampening his spirits further. There was no excitement or joy to be found here for him, not as he had originally imagined there would be. The money he'd saved to purchase his own lute or lyre, and to cover the entry fee in a competition or two...he was almost tempted to find the nearest gambling hall and toss it away. The music in his heart was bitter, when he could hear it there at all.

Joxer hoped he could find somewhere to rest for the night, but judging from the huge crowds he worried that there might not be room to spare at any inn in the entire town. He'd be happy with a pile of hay in a barn if it came down to it--and those were probably in high demand as well. In the chaos of the noisy streets, everything seemed a blur and he didn't even know where to start to look for a place to sleep. And he was so tired, from being on the road all day and not sleeping the night before...it was almost too much effort to do anything but collapse in a quiet corner somewhere and hope the local thieves and miscreants had too many other targets tonight to bother with him.

He stopped for a minute as he approached the main marketplace in the heart of town, to try to get his bearings in the unfamiliar city. Looking to his left, he saw a small stage set up in a side street, with chairs and benches only half-filled. There was a young man on the stage, reading from a scroll with some curious degree of theatricality. Joxer walked over in that direction, thinking those benches looked like a relief for his feet, and maybe the bard could distract him for a while. He sat down in the back row of the makeshift seating area, catching after a few minutes something about a tale of a prince on a mythic quest to bring home a gemstone from a dragon's lair. The story sounded familiar, but Joxer's mind kept wandering. The mention of gemstones automatically brought Autolycus to mind...not that he was ever far from his thoughts.

He applauded politely when he realized some time later that the man had stopped speaking and the rest of the audience was clapping enthusiastically. Several people walked over to the bard to talk to him while the rest of those gathered began to disperse, off to find some other entertainment. Joxer was reluctant to get up from his seat, though, wondering if anyone would mind if he simply stretched out here for the night and--

"Joxer?" a familiar voice called from somewhere to his left, startling him. Glancing in that direction, he blinked when to his surprise he realized it was "Gabrielle!"

Standing alertly with staff in hand, the traveling bard and former object of Joxer's affections looked no different than when he had last seen her. He could tell the festival had her in good spirits, what with the excited glimmer in her eyes and the easy smile on her face. She moved over to sit next to him and said, "Hey, what a surprise! Didn't know you'd be coming to the festival. And I almost didn't recognize you without the, ah...all your...stuff." She waved her hands about her shoulders and head in a vague imitation of his old armor.

"Yeah, I um...I got rid most of that, a while ago. Kind of a long story." He couldn't help himself; seeing Gabrielle still elicited a bit of that old, familiar feeling of desire in him. But it was muted and distant compared to times past, and with someone else now the primary focus of his heart.

Her amused smile faded as she peered at him more closely. "You don't look too good, Joxer. Are you feeling all right?"

"I've been better. It's...been a long day." He yawned, but tried to shake off his sleepiness. "Hey, is Xena around? I really needed to find both of you."

"She heard about a little trouble north of here and went to check it out, but she should make it back here for the last night or two of the festival. Why, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No--well, yes...I mean, **you** guys are the ones who might have some trouble. Especially Xena. It's Jett."

"Jett?" she asked, then after a moment remembered, "Oh, your brother, right?"

He nodded. "He broke out of prison and he's after Xena. And probably you, too. I came here hoping to find you guys to warn you. He could even be in Egio already; I know he wasn't very far from here a few nights ago."

"Great, just when I thought I might be able to relax for a few days," Gabrielle sighed, sounding more irritated at this potential complication than truly worried by it. "Well, I think Xena can handle herself okay. And all I care about is getting through the bards' competition in two days in peace." She indicated her bag of scrolls and said, "I still haven't decided which story I should submit as my entry...but anyway, have you had anything to eat yet? I'm starved. Maybe you can help me decide which story would be the best."

Joxer wanted to protest her nonchalance over Jett, but decided against it. He couldn't quite muster the energy to get into it, and would worry about it tomorrow. The prospect of a warm meal was rather appealing. "Sure, why not."

"Let's go, then. Wait until I tell you what Xena and I have been up to lately! I wish I had time to write it all up before the competition, it's going to make a **great** story..."

* * *

Autolycus followed Joxer and Gabrielle--from a discreet distance, of course--from the small stage, to a tavern, and finally to a stable off one of the quieter streets in town. He felt somewhat uncomfortable about all of this sneaking around...and though he knew it was foolish, he couldn't help but feel a touch of jealousy at Joxer sharing Gabrielle's company instead of his own. Knowing how the young man had been quite enamored with the bard for so long wasn't helping, either.

 _Get a grip, Autolycus. It's not like anything's gonna happen! And after what's gone down already, you sure don't deserve to be casting any stones, accusing Joxer of fooling around._ When neither Joxer nor Gabby left the stables after a fair amount of time, he guessed they must have called it a night. With a yawn he realized he should probably do the same, though he didn't imagine himself getting much real rest until this whole matter was settled with Joxer and Jett.

In which case, he had other things he should take care of tonight. One of the top on his list was trying to find any signs of Jett being in town...and where was Xena? So far Gabrielle seemed to be travelling solo for once, which could definitely complicate things.

Whatever the case, he doubted hanging around here for the rest of the night was going to do him any good. Disappearing into the still crowded streets, the King of Thieves set out to start putting his own plans into action.

* * *

The stables were not much of a resting place, but a roof over their heads and some soft hay under their bedrolls was certainly much better than nothing. As Joxer had suspected, finding a room in any of the inns in town was impossible at the moment--Gabrielle had tried earlier in the night without any success. But she'd also gone looking for a place Xena could house Argo when the warrior woman finally arrived and had found this place. The owner had no problem with people staying there with the horses if they didn't mind the company; it was just more dinars in his pocket as far as he was concerned.

Joxer was restless all night. He was tired, to be sure, but too worried over his problems to rest properly...and too accustomed to sleeping with Autolycus nearby to do so easily on his own. When he did manage to fall asleep, his dreams proved even more disturbing than his waking thoughts. He was relieved when the first light of dawn began to shine through the cracks in the door and the windows, and roosters outside began to announce the arrival of a new day, even if he was still tired.

Gabrielle was clearly not as pleased by the prospect of waking up. She tossed and turned about on her nearby bedroll for some time, sighing loudly as she forced herself to finally wake up completely. Sitting up with a yawn, she declared, "I really **hate** mornings."

Joxer had never been particularly fond of them either...until Autolycus had come along, at least. There was little he enjoyed more than the wonderful sensation of waking up with those strong arms around him, or nestling close against that warm, delectable body. And then there was the enjoyable task of coaxing the thief awake with soft kisses and teasing caresses...quite often it took a good hour or two before they actually managed to get out of bed in the morning.

Joxer was drawn away from that line of thought as Gabrielle stood and, after stretching out her arms and legs, she walked over to her pack and returned with a small bag of food. "Hungry?" she asked, offering the bag to her companion.

"Thanks." Joxer took a thick slice of nut-bread and some fruit, and then passed the bag back to the bard.

They sat and worked on their breakfast in silence for a few minutes before Gabrielle asked, "Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah, guess so," he lied, figuring it was easier than trying to explain why he hadn't.

"You sure? Seemed like you were having some bad dreams last night."

"Really? I...don't remember."

"Yep. Definitely sounded like bad dreams to me. You were mumbling stuff in your sleep and tossing all around...I almost woke you a couple of times to check if you were okay."

"Sorry I kept you awake."

"No, you didn't. I was pretty restless myself. Too excited about the festival, I suppose." Gabrielle fell quiet, then a short while later continued, "I thought I heard you calling out--of all things--Autolycus' name a few times."

Joxer choked on his nut-bread at her remark. Trying to cover up his reaction, he stammered, "Aut--Autolycus? Uh...who's that?"

"You know Autolycus--the King of Thieves? Tall, dark, handsome, and totally full of himself?"

"Oh...oh, **that** Autolycus! Ha ha ha," he forced himself to laugh. "Gee, I wonder why I would mention **his** name in my sleep."

"I don't know, you'd have to tell me." Eyebrow raised, she queried, "It wouldn't have something to do with that long story you wouldn't tell me last night, would it?"

He shrugged and evasively answered, "Maybe...Maybe not."

"I think it does," she stated. "I mean, come on, I'm looking at the way you're dressed right now and it's screaming at me 'color scheme by Autolycus'. What's been going on since the last time I saw you? Have you been working with him?" Her eyebrow arched higher as she suggested in a conspiratorial tone, " **More** than working?"

Her persistence was not only making Joxer uncomfortable, it was starting to irritate him. And with that irritation came remembered other reasons why he was more than a little irritated at her. He sat back and coolly asked, "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters because I can see something's got you really upset, and maybe I can help." She reached out and touched his arm softly. "We're friends, Joxer, you can talk to me about it."

"Friends..." he repeated, considering this for a while. "Like, the way me and Xena are friends? And you and Xena?"

She gave him a slightly puzzled look, then agreed, "Well, yeah, we're all friends."

"Uh huh." He nodded, thinking this over before asking, "Gabrielle, if we're all such good friends, how come you or Xena never told me that you two were **more** than just friends?"

She stared at him with obvious surprise, but quickly recovered her calm--though she dropped her hand away from his arm as she asked in a level tone, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You're in love, aren't you? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't **Xena** tell me, when I know she **knew** I...that I had feelings about you. I don't know if you knew, and that doesn't really matter to me now...but if Xena was really my friend why didn't she tell me anything?"

Finding Gabrielle at a complete loss for words was certainly a rare turn of events. When she didn't answer him, Joxer continued, "Maybe I **was** a fool not to see it. I mean, as soon as I found out, I couldn't believe I **hadn't** seen what was going on right in front of me. I just don't understand...why couldn't you both have trusted me with the truth?"

"Xena **was** going to say something...she wanted to, but...it's my fault," Gabrielle admitted, looking more than a little embarrassed--and definitely uncomfortable about suddenly being the one put on the spot. She seemed to find it hard to meet his eyes as she struggled to explain, "I...I was wrong; I didn't believe her when she told me your feelings were...serious... And then, I guess I just didn't want to hurt you, by telling you the truth."

"It hurt a lot worse finding out from someone else." Joxer's words were bitter with the memory of how he had felt that night, when Autolycus had told him.

"How did you find out?" she asked softly.

"From Autolycus. Something about switching or sharing bodies with Xena once."

"Oh. Yeah," Gabrielle recalled, then fell silent again. After a time, she asked, "I, um, don't suppose telling you how sorry I am about the way things worked out would help any?"

Joxer sighed. _First Autolycus, now Gabrielle... everyone's sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I wish saying "I'm sorry" really **did** somehow make everything all right. But it doesn't. Maybe in time, but right now..._

"Gabrielle, I really...I was in **love** with you...at least I thought I was, back then. And finding out the truth, after all that time..." He trailed off, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought this up at all. It wasn't making him feel any better, not the way he'd thought this confrontation might. All it was doing was stirring up old pain on his part, and making Gabrielle upset, and he couldn't even muster any satisfaction from her guilt as he'd imagined he would. "Never mind, let's forget I even brought it up. It's all old news anyway," he said, trying to move on.

He turned his attention back to finishing his breakfast, even though he had no appetite left for the food. Neither one of them said anything, or seemed to have any idea what to say to each other, for an uncomfortably long time. Gabrielle finally tried to change the subject and asked cautiously, "So...um, do you want to talk about what's up with you and Autolycus? If you want to...and I mean, if there's something to talk about."

Joxer picked at the last of his food as he debated what to say, if anything. _What do I have to lose?_ he decided. "We've been...well...I caught up with him not long after you and Xena took off, a few months ago. I'm not sure I could even explain what happened after that, or why, except that it's been...really great," he admitted. "At least, it was, until recently. Some things happened and...I'm not sure what to do. I needed some time to think."

"What sort of things?"

He didn't want to get into the specifics, so he answered, "Basically things that made me question how much I trust him. On one hand I feel bad for even doubting him at all, but..."

"...but he's Autolycus," Gabrielle finished. "Not someone I'd normally trust farther than I could throw him."

Joxer smirked. "That pretty much sums it up."

Gabrielle was quiet for a while, then remarked, "You and Autolycus, huh."

"Yep."

"That's...that's..."

"Weird? To say the least?" he supplied with a small smile.

She caught his smile and it seemed to break some of the tension, as she smiled back and answered, "Yeah, kind of. You **know** I'm going to have to hear the whole story behind this now."

"Maybe later, okay?"

"Sure. Whenever." After a pause, she had to ask one more question: "Do you love him?"

He hesitated only a second before answering, "Yeah, I love him."

"Does he love you?"

That **was** the question, wasn't it? "He says he does. I didn't doubt him until now." _...And I wish I could make that doubt go away._

"If he does, I'm sure things will work out. You should try to just relax and enjoy the festival for a few days, you know? It might help clear your mind, put everything into perspective," she suggested.

"I'd relax, but there's still Jett to worry about," he reminded her.

"You **really** think he's going to come after us? Why, for Zeus' sake?"

"It's the way he is, Gabrielle. I'm sure it's some sort of honor thing to him. He'd never screwed up an assassination before--and then having to go to jail because of it? He probably thinks he needs to take Xena out to show that he's still in business, that he's still a good man for the job. And I'm afraid he might use you as bait to get to her."

"That's all so crazy."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Jett. And crazy, that's just the way he is."

* * *

With breakfast finished and the sounds of the festival beginning to drift through the air, Joxer and Gabrielle took off to check out the scene. Although it was early and no performances were scheduled to start for a few more hours, the streets were beginning to fill up, particularly around the large marketplace. Vendors called to everyone to check out their merchandise, which included everything from foodstuffs to clothing to musical instruments to...

"Get your Official Festival of the Arts Memorabilia, right here and only here! Don't miss this chance to take home part of the excitement!"

"Memorabilia?" Joxer asked Gabrielle with a frown. "What's that?"

Gabrielle grimaced and shook her head in dismay. "Obviously Salmoneus' latest dinar-making scheme."

The stocky man with a full beard and short, thinning hair continued to shout, "That's right! Memories to last a lifetime--and in sizes and shapes to suit anyone's budget!"

"Why would I want a cheap, ugly mug, just because it has '10th Festival of the Arts' carved into it?" Joxer asked, picking up the offending item to look at it more closely.

"Why, you ask? Why, so that every day when you get your morning cup of goat's milk, or your evening taste of ale, you can remember the glorious time you had here in Egio!" the salesman explained eagerly. "Oh! Hi, Gabrielle...perhaps I could interest you in a commemorative scroll or two?"

She eyed the offered items, and crinkling her nose in what Joxer had to admit was still quite the most adorable way, she declared, "This is some of the worst quality parchment I've ever seen. It feels ready to fall apart in my hands!"

"Hey, don't knock the merchandise! Okay, maybe it's not good enough for the Sacred Archives in Athens, but for most of the people around here this week? Consider it beginner's parchment--and besides," he grinned, "with every five scrolls you purchase, I'll throw in a free copy of Socrates' lost scroll, 'Philosophy for Dummies'. What do you think?"

"I think you truly frighten me sometimes, Salmoneus," Gabrielle answered, handing back the scrolls and starting to walk over to the next vendor.

"What about you, my good man? Any interest in a commemorative plaque? Backstage passes to tonight's sold out performance by the Ladies of Lesbos Exotic Dance Troupe?" Sal waggled his eyebrows as he waved the tickets in the air.

"Uh...no thanks," Joxer answered, stepping away quickly after Gabrielle. "Boy, the things some people will do to make a dinar off these festivals anymore," he complained.

"I know, but if that's what it takes to draw all these great performers together, I guess it's not so bad. Besides, it's all rather exciting, don't you think? People coming here from across over the country, all of them interested in supporting and experiencing the arts..."

"I guess," Joxer agreed reluctantly. Truthfully, the swarms of people were more anxiety-inducing than exciting to him. How could he hope to find Jett in crowds like these?

 _I just have to stick close to Gabrielle,_ he resolved. It bothered him that Xena wasn't here and that he hadn't warned her about Jett yet, but Gabrielle refused to leave town to go track down the warrior. And Joxer was not about to leave Gabrielle alone where Jett could get to her.

* * *

After most of the day acting as Gabrielle's shadow, however, the bard was starting to get restless under the close scrutiny.

"Joxer, you really don't have to follow me around **everywhere.** I'm not a helpless little girl," she started to complain as they sat waiting for the next performer to take the stage. This afternoon was the first round in the bards' competition; Gabrielle wasn't scheduled to present until tomorrow, but she wanted to get a good feel for other entrants and how the crowd responded to their stories. "I'm sure there are other performances you're more interested in than all of these storytellers."

"Well, maybe...but making sure you're okay and catching Jett is the most important thing to me at the moment. There'll always be other festivals. I'm not going to leave you alone and have him sneak up on you or something."

He could tell she wasn't very convinced yet. "Jett didn't seem **that** tough last time we ran into him. I mean, Xena took him out in no time."

"But Xena's not here, is she?" Joxer answered. "Besides, back then he didn't expect you and Xena to be any real trouble. Now he knows different. Believe me, there's a reason he's considered one of the best at what he does--and that's killing people."

"Okay, whatever. If it'll make you happy, then you can keep tagging along after me."

There was no time for further discussion at the moment anyway as the performance was about to resume. The young man on stage was quite good, Joxer thought. He had a strong voice and he dared add a touch of humor where so many others today had been utterly serious. For a while, Joxer allowed himself to get caught up in the story being told, and letting it push aside his own worries and dramas. Maybe Gabrielle was right; he just needed some time to relax and put some distance between himself and Autolycus.

* * *

By the end of the day, Joxer was almost in a good mood. He and Gabrielle had gone for an early supper and then sampled some of the evening musical performances before calling it a day. He enjoyed the music more than the bards, and had begun to feel the urge to play stirring once more within him. But it was still only a glimmer of an urge, one which he would put on hold until later.

"So tell me, did Autolycus make you get rid of your old armor because it didn't agree with his fashion sense?" Gabrielle asked as they walked back towards the stables.

"No, I decided it was time for a new look myself. I didn't need all of that anyway, since I decided I didn't want to be a warrior any more."

"Oh yeah? Was that because of Autolycus?"

"Sort of...but I'd been thinking I needed to find something different for myself for a while before then. I actually had gone looking for him, because I thought maybe he could teach me to be a thief. But that didn't work out too well."

"So now what are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I was thinking about giving music a try...that's why I originally wanted to come to the festival."

"If that's what you think you'd really like to do, you should go for it. I think it's great that you're trying to find your own path, what's best for you, instead of trying to be what your family would want you to be."

"Especially since I'm not any good at that," Joxer added.

"We can't all be good at everything."

"I know...I'd just like to find **one** thing I'm good at," he moped.

Gabrielle stopped and took Joxer's arm, turning to face him. Seriously, she said, "You're a good friend, Joxer. A better friend than maybe I deserve after the way I've treated you in the past."

He felt an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks at the compliment, and the affectionate look in her eyes. In fact he had to stop himself from letting his mind twist that look into something more than it was-- _Friendship, that's all it is. She loves Xena, and you love Autolycus...even if you're still kind of pissed at him._ "Thanks," he answered her at last.

Gabby just smiled, then patted him on the back as they continued on to the stables in comfortable silence.

* * *

From the shadows, Autolycus observed the whole scene, wishing he could hear the words being said even as he was feeling guilty about wanting to eavesdrop on them. _There **couldn't** be something going on between them...or could there? Maybe Gabs had a fight with Xena, too, and now...nah, crazy. I'm losing it. Joxer might not be the swiftest guy out there, but he knows better than to screw around with Xena's gal._

To think anything else...he really didn't want to go there. It would serve him right, he knew, if Joxer wanted to "even the score" on him. But Joxer **had** said in the note he still loved him, right?

_Hades. I wish I could talk to him. I wish I hadn't screwed things up, I wish I didn't feel like a slime for following him around, and I just wish we could go back to the way things were before._

_Patience..._ he reminded himself. He had to have some patience.

And if that didn't work, maybe he'd go pester Aphrodite and see if he couldn't call in a favor, after the way she'd screwed with his head when this whole business with Joxer had begun.

The day had been a long and tedious one for the King of Thieves. He'd awakened early to make sure he was up before Joxer and Gabrielle, and could catch them leaving the stables--and this was after staying up late to get a feel for the local criminal scene. Autolycus knew how to find the right places of ill- repute where those who tended to skirt the law gathered, passed information, and generally made themselves available if the price was right. Even when a city was unfamiliar, a person who knew what signs to look for could find these places easily enough. Where others would see nothing more than a simple set of scratches on the wall, or scarf hanging from a window, a thief or other well-versed outlaw saw a clear road map to sanctuary.

It was at one such establishment, a back-room bar on the outskirts of town, that Autolycus had confirmed that Jett was indeed in town. Though Auto didn't run across him--thankfully--he heard that the assassin was already bragging how he was going to make a move sometime during the festival, something which would announce that the King of Assassins was officially back in action.

"What's yer business with 'im?" the proprietor of the establishment had asked warily after providing this information.

"Just some old affairs to sort out."

"If 'e comes back 'ere, you want me to tell 'im yer lookin' for 'im?"

"No, that's all right. I'm sure we'll cross paths sooner or later." Auto had slipped the man a healthy "tip" for the information, and to hopefully keep him quiet in case Jett did come back.

The thief had gathered little information beyond that so far, nor had he spotted Jett anywhere during the day. Tonight he would try again, his hope being that he could find where the assassin had himself holed up. Auto was thankful Joxer and Gabrielle had spent so much time at those boring readings all day. At least he'd managed to get some sleep then...something he didn't expect to get much of tonight.

* * *

By the next day, the crowds in the city had, if it were somehow possible, grown even larger and more overwhelming than before. The final days of the festival were when the most famous performers were scheduled to appear, and also when the awards would be announced for the competitions. Naturally, these were the events most attendees wanted to make sure to catch, and to Joxer it felt as if half of Greece had descended upon the small city. Even with a mostly- willing Gabrielle, it was difficult for him to not simply lose her as they tried to make their way around town. With stages already full and booked all day, some musicians and troops eager for a chance in the spotlight simply claimed a spot on the street to play- -which only added to the congestion and general inability to get **anywhere** without a struggle. Joxer couldn't remember a time he'd seen this many people gathered together in one place...and that was definitely making him nervous.

Xena still hadn't shown up, and Gabrielle was growing somewhat anxious about that herself. Not so much because she was afraid, but more because she really hoped Xena would be there for her performance, which was only a few hours from now. Joxer was trying, one last time, to convince the bard not to go ahead with that.

"You know, going up on that stage today will be a sure way for Jett to find you. There'll be other competitions--ones without assassins to worry about. Don't you think your safety is more important than trying to win some award?"

"Joxer, we've gone over this before, and I'm **not** going to run scared! I think I have a real chance of winning this year, and the recognition of simply being able to compete and maybe have someone take an interest in my scrolls is not something I'm going to miss. Not after all the work I've put into my writing the past few years. I've been waiting for this chance for too long..."

Joxer didn't hear half of her reply, however, for he had just caught something out of the corner of his eye--or rather, someone. True, there were literally hundreds of people all around them in the marketplace, but how many of them looked exactly like he did? That sort of thing tended to set off warning signals in a person's brain rather quickly. He whipped his head around, trying to find the familiar figure again--just in time to spot Jett once more, as he handed a vendor a few dinars, then turned and started walking away.

"Gabrielle, it's him, I told you he was here! Gabrielle...?" he trailed off as he turned back around, only to find she was no longer there. In the brief moment's distraction, she was gone, swallowed up in the rest of the crowd pushing and shoving all around him.

Joxer tried not to panic as he attempted to figure out what to do next. He couldn't see the bard anywhere, but he could still see Jett--though he would lose him soon if he didn't take after him right away.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath. This was **not good.** What was he supposed to do now?

 _Well,_ he decided, _I know where Gabrielle is going to be soon: the competition. But who knows when I might see Jett again. I'd better not lose him. It's time we had ourselves a little chat._

He slipped his way through the crowd with as much speed as he could manage, thankful for once for his slender build, which made such maneuvering easier than for most. He made it to the corner of the sidestreet he'd seen Jett take off for, and spotted the assassin turn the next corner up ahead of him, heading to the right. Joxer picked up his pace to follow, then paused, confused when he made the turn and saw no one at all down the length of the narrow, quiet alleyway. He took a few steps forward, lingering close to the walls of the building just around the corner--

\--Until a hand reached out and roughly yanked him through the open doorway of said building.

"Hey!" he shouted in protest as he nearly lost his balance. "What the...Jett!"

Joxer could see his brother grinning, in the dim light of the empty room. From the rowdy sounds coming through the walls, and the large crates and barrels all around them, Joxer got the impression this had to be some sort of storeroom for the tavern next door.

"Hey, Jox, long time no see. How's it going?" Jett asked casually.

Joxer's response came almost without thought and for once, fast enough that his brother didn't see it coming.

He punched Jett right solid in the balls.

"That's about how I'm doing, Jett, thanks for asking."

Jett doubled-over in pain, but managed to stay on his feet and not swear too loudly at the blow. "Fuck!" he cursed, then managed to gasp out slowly, "I guess...your little thief...told ya what happened."

"Why'd you have to do that, Jett, huh?"

"Because...he's a hot piece of ass? Why not?"

Joxer went to punch him again, but this time Jett managed to stop him. He grabbed Joxer's fist in a painfully hard grip and told him, "Oh no...you got your free shot, Jox. You don't get another one." Straightening himself out and still wincing, he complained, "What's the big problem, anyway? Didn't mom always tell us we needed to learn to share?"

Joxer struggled to free his hand, which Jett only reluctantly released. "You don't get it, do you? I finally find something special--some _one_ special--and you need to go and ruin it. **That's** why I'm mad."

"Hey, before I found out you were screwing the guy, I was gonna kill him! Instead, I decided to find out if he was worth your time." Jett grinned. "He's still alive, so there ya go. Have fun. Now, are we through here? I've got things to do besides listen to you whine about your love life."

Jett pushed him aside and started toward the door. "Things like killing Xena?" Joxer called after him. "And Gabrielle?"

Jett paused and turned back towards him. "Maybe."

"Then you're not going anywhere."

The assassin laughed at him. "Are you serious? We've played this game before; you know you can't stop me. Go back to playin' house with Autolycus and stay out of my business."

"No! I'm not gonna let you do this! Xena and Gabrielle are my friends, Jett."

"That bitch Xena ruined my reputation! Put my ass in jail! I gotta waste her, Jox. It's...it's an honor thing."

"And so's this," Joxer insisted. " **My** honor." He walked over and slammed shut the door. "You're **not** leaving here until we get this situation under control."

Jett rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. "You know, this is **really** going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me."

* * *

Autolycus was growing worried.

He'd finally had some luck the night before and, after staking out nearly every low-life hangout in Egio, managed to catch sight of Jett leaving one such establishment in the early morning hours. He'd followed the assassin--with extreme care--back to an old, and what looked to be abandoned, blacksmith's shop on the edge of town. He'd been doing a good job of trailing him ever since Jett had left the building late this morning. But Autolycus' task had become much more difficult when the assassin had wandered into the extremely busy marketplace, and then made a sudden change of course off onto one of the smaller side streets. By the time Autolycus had worked his way in that direction, he barely caught sight of not Jett, but this time Joxer, headed down the same street. Autolycus had not spotted Joxer until then, and seeing him only made him more determined than before not to lose either of them.

But unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. As the thief stuck his head around the corner of the street, he was puzzled to see no signs of either man, in either direction. He proceeded cautiously, and then ran ahead to check all of the intersecting alleyways, but to no avail. He could only assume that Jett must have entered one of the buildings on this street and Joxer had followed him...which meant that all Autolycus could do was find a good hiding spot of his own, and wait.

He'd been waiting for what felt like an eternity, made all the worse because he couldn't be certain he wasn't wasting his time. _Damn,_ he cursed, mad at himself for screwing up when it had really counted. He hadn't been expecting so many people, making it so hard for him to stay on Jett and/or Joxer's trail. All it had taken was a few minutes and he'd lost them both.

He tried to reassure himself that, killer or not, Jett wouldn't do anything too terrible to Joxer if their meeting came to blows...or would he? Maybe Joxer could even somehow talk a little sense into Jett, and they could work out their differences without things turning violent...

_Yeah, and maybe someday Ares will decide to make Hercules his best buddy._

_If Jett hurts him, in any way..._ Atuolycus clenched his fists, trying to control his anxiety and put aside such thoughts. He couldn't let anger cloud his concentration. He was running on low sleep and frayed nerves already and couldn't afford any other distractions.

At last, from the shadowed corner where he waited, Autolycus spotted a door opening across the street from him. It looked like Joxer stepping out...

...or was it? Though the clothes matched what he'd seen Joxer wearing before, something set off warning bells in Autolycus' mind. It was something in the man's expression, the way he carried himself. _How can I see the difference so clearly **now,** when I couldn't before?_ the thief wondered. Perhaps it was from having learned his lesson the hard way. Or perhaps, it was simply the cold set of the man's expression, not masked since--as far as he knew--he had no one to try to fool yet. Whatever the case, within seconds Autolycus knew he was seeing Jett, not Joxer.

Wearing Joxer's clothes. With no signs of Joxer leaving after him.

 _Shit!_ If he'd been thinking clearer, he might not have acted as brashly as he then did. But worry over Joxer propelled him to charge out from where he'd been hiding and call out, "Hold it right there, Jett."

Jett spun around, his surprise quickly fading into a leering smile as he said, "Well, if it isn't Autolycus! And not so easily fooled this time around, I see. I suppose you're not as stupid as I thought."

"Where's Joxer?" Autolycus asked evenly.

"Momentarily indisposed," the assassin dismissed. "Terrible, isn't it, when family members just can't see eye-to-eye."

"What's terrible is Joxer having to put up with family members like you."

Jett put on an expression of mock hurt and answered, "Autolycus, you wound me with such words! The last time we met, you certainly had a much more agreeable attitude towards me..." Jett stepped closer, close enough to lightly finger the front of the thief's vest. The leering smile returning, he continued, "As I recall, you didn't have any complaints about my company then."

Auto knocked the hand away in disgust and anger, but then instantly regretted allowing the assassin get to him so easily. Jett's eyes narrowed, and before Autolycus could see it coming, a hard blow to his face sent him stumbling onto the ground.

"You know I only let you live before because I got the feeling Joxer would be pissed if I offed you. But don't get in my way, or else I might have to change my mind."

Autolycus saw the kick coming and rolled away in time to avoid the impact, then shakily he got to his feet. "Just tell me what you did with Joxer. I swear, I don't care what you're planning on doing as long as he's all right."

"Yeah, sure you don't," Jett responded, launching in for another attack. Autolycus did his best to block the swift hands of the assassin, but fighting had never been his strong suit--he much preferred running when given the option. It was throwing him off- balance, trying to fight someone who looked so much like Joxer--yet who was obviously so much more adept at holding his own. **More** than his own. Autolycus tried to get in a solid punch, when he thought he had an opportunity, but Jett grabbed his arm and twisted him around, dropping him to his knees with a kick which this time didn't miss.

Before Autolycus knew it, he was trapped in a stranglehold, unable to find the strength or the opening to free himself. The slender assassin was deceptively strong. "You and your good friends Xena and that tasty-looking blonde...you couldn't stay out of my business before. Why should I think you would now?"

"Because...I swear...I won't...just...Joxer...all right..." Autolycus gasped. His vision was growing dim, and right as he felt ready to black out, Jett released him to fall to the ground, struggling to draw breath into his aching lungs.

"Man, he's really got you hooked good, doesn't he?" Jett remarked. "Joxer's fine...I merely made sure he won't be bothering me for a while. Like I'm gonna make sure **you** won't, either. Say good-night, Autolycus."

* * *

_I really should have known better,_ Joxer sighed to himself. He never had been able to stand up to his brother in his fight--even putting aside the fact that Jett was so much faster and more competent at such matters. Joxer always tried to play by the rules...well, except for that punch to the nuts.

Jett, on the other hand, merely played to win.

Jett hadn't hurt Joxer **too** much, except for his pride, which was smarting quite severely. So were his wrists, tied securely behind his back, and his ankles, which were similarly bound in front of him. It might not have been so uncomfortable except that the rope was cutting into his bare skin; Jett had unburdened Joxer of all of his clothes save his socks and underwear. In fact one of his socks was now, rather disgustingly, shoved into his mouth and tied in place as a gag. To make matters worse, Jett had shoved him into a closet in the back of the storage room. Joxer feared no one might find him here for days.

Jett had promised he'd come around and check on him "later"...no doubt once he'd taken care of Gabrielle and found Xena, Joxer thought miserably.

 _Dammit!_ he cursed, working with renewed intensity against his bonds. _I have to get out of here!_

His wrists were raw, and his struggles to free himself only seemed to cause more pain, but he refused to give up. Unfortunately, Jett obviously knew a thing or two about making sure a prisoner couldn't escape easily. The knots were too secure, and the rope too strong to wear down.

 _Of course, I'm sure Autolycus would've able to get himself out of this,_ Joxer thought, wishing he'd spent more time learning some of the thief's tricks regarding the art of escape. _Himself and me, while he was at it. What the Tartarus was I thinking, leaving and deciding to take on Jett on my own? Now I've gone and screwed **everything** up._

Joxer kept struggling, growing more frustrated and desperate as the minutes passed into what felt like hours. After some indefinite time, though, he thought he heard someone moving about in the storeroom. "Mmmmmmmph!" he tried to shout, though it was quite difficult with the gag in his mouth. "Mmm-mmmph!" He managed to scoot himself over until he could lift his bound feet and kick them against the door, trying to catch the person's attention.

Only a few seconds later, he heard someone working on the door. _Great, on top of everything else, he **locked** me in here?_ But soon enough, the door swung open...

...and he couldn't believe it when he saw the blessedly familiar--although surprisingly bloodied and bruised--face peering in at him.

"Well!" Autolycus observed, managing a bit of a smile, "I thought you might be in some sort of a bind. I see I wasn't mistaken."

"Mm-mmm-mmph!"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Autolycus kneeled before Joxer and reached behind his head, loosening and then removing the gag. "Better?"

"Umph...yeah, thanks."

"Let me get those ropes." Autolycus moved around behind Joxer and got to work on freeing his hands.

 _How did he get here?_ Joxer wondered, though concern over the thief's condition prompted him to ask first, "What happened to you?"

"The same thing that happened to you, I believe-- Jett."

 _That would certainly explain it._ Though only one thing could explain how the King of Thieves had found him: "You've been following me?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess that's kind obvious. I'm sorry, I...I know you told me not to, that you wanted to take care of Jett on your own..."

"Yeah, and as you can see I did a real good job of that." He knew he should have been angry about it, but he was too relieved at being freed, especially since a few moments ago he had been certain he had no hope of stopping Jett.

He also couldn't help it that, despite everything, he was simply glad that Auto was here. The few days alone had dampened his anger, and given him a lot of time to think things over. He sighed in relief as his hands were freed and he could start shaking and rubbing the numbness out of them.

"You had to give it a shot. I wasn't gonna get in the way of letting you do that. But now we'll deal with him together," Auto answered, as he moved back in front of Joxer to untie his feet. When he finished, he raised his eyes and added, "I'd like to hope maybe we can deal with other things too, together, once this is over. Listen, Jox...I know we don't have a lot of time for talking, but I gotta tell you this now. I know I said it the other night, and it wasn't enough. But I don't know what else to say, except that I'm sorry... more sorry than I can put in words. I hurt you, and I honestly didn't mean to. You gotta believe me." Tentatively, he reached out placed his hand on Joxer's, waiting for his answer.

That soft touch, so hesitant and tender...that hopeful, vulnerable look on the normally so-composed thief's face... How could Joxer deny what he was seeing, what his heart was telling him was the truth? "I do," Joxer answered softly. Perhaps it would take time before he could forget what had happened, what had nearly pulled them apart...but he could forgive.

He relaxed his hand under the soft touch, feeling a tremor of desire as Auto took the invitation to grasp it more firmly, and stroke it gently with his thumb. "I love you, Joxer. I don't want anyone but you," Autolycus vowed. "After we straighten out this business with Jett, the only thing I want is the chance to try to prove that."

Joxer shook his head and answered, "Auto, you don't need to prove anything. I know. I'm sorry I doubted you, and ran out like I did...I was just so upset, I needed some time to try to sort myself out..."

"Hey, I understand, no apologizing to **me** here, all right?" Auto assured him with a clearly relieved smile. When, after a moment, he leaned in closer for a kiss, Joxer offered no resistance, positively feeling as if he could melt into the thief's embrace that soon followed, and against those warm, coaxing lips...

Auto sighed in regret and pulled away much too soon for Joxer's taste. "I wish I could just do that for the rest of the day..."

"Me too," Joxer agreed, "but Jett--"

"I know, I know. He really packs a mean punch. I don't know how long I was knocked out cold back there."

"More than enough time for Jett to probably find Gabrielle. She was scheduled for the Bards' Competition this afternoon."

"Yeah, I saw that on the schedules stuck up nearly everywhere. We'd better hope she's still there. Uh...you got anything to wear besides that?" Autolycus asked as they both got to their feet and prepared to leave.

"Jett left his clothes in the corner here," Joxer answered, picking up the leather garments and hastily getting dressed. As soon as he finished lacing up the boots, he nodded to Autolycus and said, "Okay, let's do it."

* * *

"...And once again, the sweet sounds of Orpheus' Lyre echoed through the forest as he was reunited with his love, Eurydice.

"And the Bacchae? Some say their cries can still be heard in the night, along with the mournful calls of wolves when the moon is full. Perhaps it is merely superstition...or perhaps some of the children of Bacchaus live on, waiting for their master to come back to them. If so, let us hope that if that time comes, another hero like Xena will be there to stop him.

"The End."

The enthusiastic applause from the crowd brought a wide smile to the bard's face, and she bowed graciously in appreciation for the response. She'd never performed in front of so many people before, and at first it had been terribly intimidating. But once she starting getting into the story, and saw she had the audience's attention, her confidence grew and she knew it carried over into her voice and presentation. _I'm so glad I chose this story! I **thought** the audience yesterday wanted a little more action and magic, and what better to fit the bill than this?_

She hoped Joxer was somewhere in the audience, considering he'd played a part in the story, too--and she'd actually gone back and revised the scroll slightly last night, out of guilt over some of the less kind things she'd said about him when she'd first written it. But she was certain he had to be around **somewhere.** She hadn't even noticed she'd lost him earlier in the busy market at first, and when she had, she couldn't find him anywhere, nor did she have the time to really try.

"Thank you, Gabrielle, for our last entry in this afternoon's round of the Bard's Competition," the host announced as he joined her on stage. "Please, everyone, make sure to join us tomorrow in time for the awards ceremony, when the judges' choices in all of the major competitions will be announced!"

Gabrielle made her way off the stage while the host encouraged people to stick around for the dance exhibition coming up next. Several of her fellow competitors came up to congratulate her on her presentation, and she met them graciously, complementing them in turn for their performances. She hoped, based on the crowds' reaction, that she had a good chance of winning the competition, but it was so hard to tell if the judges' reaction would be similar.

A tap on the shoulder got her attention, and she spun around to see who it was. "Hey, Joxer! I see you found me again."

"I figured you wouldn't miss out on the competition."

"That's for sure. Sorry I lost you earlier. I know how worried you've been about Jett, but as you can see, I managed to survive a few hours on my own."

"So I see. Hey, how about we go get something to eat? Celebrate the good showing."

"Sounds like a good idea," she agreed, "I was too nervous to eat anything earlier..." With that, they disappeared into the crowded streets in search of some dinner.

* * *

"Damn! It's already over?" Joxer groaned as he and Autolycus finally found the right stage where Gabrielle had been scheduled to perform--only to find the Bards' Competition was over. " **Now** how are we going to find her?"

Autolycus spied a few men swapping and examining scrolls by the side of the stage and worked his way over toward them through the crowd. "Excuse me, but were you here for the Bards' Competition earlier?"

"Yeah, why?" one of them answered, a little suspiciously. Autolycus knew he was looking far from his best at the moment, what with one eye swelling up and soon to turn black and blue, and several bruises and cuts he'd had little chance to tend to beyond wiping away the dried blood.

"You see a gal named Gabrielle? Blonde, about this high...short skirt and this sort of ugly green top..."

"Oh yeah, yeah, she was the last one up for the competition."

One of the other men piped in, "She left with some guy right after she finished...he looked just like that fella behind you, actually." The man pointed to Joxer.

"Great," Autolycus sighed. "Any idea where they went?"

"Up the street that way, somewhere." The man waved vaguely to his right.

"Thanks," Auto answered. Turning to Joxer, he said, "Okay. Time for Plan Beta."

"Which is?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Autolycus answered, rubbing his chin distractedly as he thought over their options.

"Autolycus?" someone called to him. Looking up as Joxer turned around at the familiar voice coming from behind him, he exclaimed with relief, "Xena! It's about time you showed up!"

"Autolycus...Joxer. It's been a while," she greeted them both, then said, "I was hoping to make it here in time to see Gabrielle on stage, but I see I'm too late. She's not going to be very happy with me about that."

"I think that's the last thing you need to be worrying about," the thief explained.

"Why, what's wrong?" she asked, her blue eyes quickly showing her concern as she looked between the two men.

"It's my brother, Jett," Joxer answered. "He escaped from prison and he's looking to even the score. He's pretending to be me, and it sounds like he left the competition with Gabrielle."

"You don't have any idea where they could be?" Xena asked.

"I don't think he'd try to pull off being Joxer for too long...my only hunch is that he'd trick her somehow, and take her back to where he's been hiding out, to use her to get to you. In which case, I know where to find them," Autolycus said.

"Then we'd better get to this 'hideout' of his as soon as possible," Xena said. "If he's laid a hand on her..." she nearly growled, leaving the threat hanging at that.

"Don't worry, we'll take turns in that case," Autolycus agreed.

* * *

Gabrielle awoke slowly, feeling completely disoriented when consciousness came to her. _Where am I?_ she wondered, though when she looked around she found she couldn't see very clearly at all. Everything was blurry, hazy--her vision, her thoughts, her recent memories. On top of everything else, her head hurt and she felt more than a little nauseous.

All she remembered was...something about...the competition, yes, that was fine...and then Joxer...Joxer and the tavern and some food...the rabbit was good but the ale tasted a little off...Joxer...?

Her eyes finally managed to focus and she saw that he was standing right in front of her-- though with a rather un-Joxerlike smile on his face. Why, Joxer should know that giving her a look like that was just asking for trouble, or at least a good nose-pinch...

...although she'd need to use her hands to do that. And she was just realizing that they were tied behind her...?!

"Joxerrrrr?" she questioned, her voice slurred as she couldn't quite get her mouth to work properly.

"Guess again, little girl," he said.

For a moment, his response was too complicated for her brain to understand. But then she remembered why Joxer had been so obsessed with following her around town and guessed, "Jett?"

"Very good!" he replied with a sneer. "You deserve a prize for figuring that out so fast. Too bad the only thing I have for you is this." He pulled out his dagger and held it to her throat. She tried not to shudder or in any way show her fear as he ran the flat of the blade along her neck, so slow and so lightly it was like some perverse erotic caress. _To Jett, it probably **is,**_ she realized, getting a sick feeling in her stomach.

"You'd best be more careful about who you accept a drink from in the future, Gabrielle. Of course, whether or not you **have** any kind of a future at this point is something we'll have to see about. It depends on how...accommodating you are, and if Xena does what I ask her to do. Namely, hand herself over to me."

He smirked, and his eyes followed the path his blade took, down her neck and then over her chest. "I'd hate to have to kill you, at least before we've had the chance to get to know each other better. As much as killing you might be fun too, especially with Xena here to watch. But where is, Xena, hmmm? Why don't you tell me that now so we can get things moving along, and so I don't have to make your stay here with me more uncomfortable than necessary."

"You don't have to...do this..." Each word took a great deal of effort to form and speak, and she wished her brain wasn't working so sluggishly as well. She needed to figure out a way out of here, but in her current condition that was going to be difficult. Whatever Jett had drugged her with to knock her out was not leaving her system quickly. "We can...work something out..."

"I don't think so. It's too late for that," Jett disagreed.

But then another voice interrupted, "No, it's too late for **you,** Jett."

Jett spun around and Gabrielle tried to focus on where the other voice was coming from, the one that had sounded just like Jett...

"Joxer!" the assassin groaned. "For fuck's sake, didn't you get the message yet? Stay out of this!"

"No. I told you, I'm not going to let you hurt her!"

"And I thought I already showed you that you can't stop me."

"Alone, I can't. You're right. But you're forgetting that I've got friends...in high places."

As if on cue, a pair of cries filled the air--a trademark piercing "Yiyiyiyiyiii" as Xena exploded through the doorway, and an equally loud "Yodelaihihoo!" as a blur of green and black descended from the rafters above their heads. Jett looked up just in time to catch Autolycus' boots right in his face. The assassin was knocked to the ground with a solid "Ooomph!" while Autolycus landed gracefully, dropping his rope and grappling hook to the side. He spotted Gabrielle's staff standing against the wall and grabbed it, while Joxer ran over to free the bard and Xena prepared for her own attack.

"You looking for me? Well here I am," Xena beckoned as Jett struggled to get to his feet. "Come on and get me."

"Bitch!" Jett spat, drawing his sword and obviously welcoming the invitation. Autolycus hovered clear of the two of as the fighting ensued, waiting to see if he could be of any assistance. Jett was fast, and did manage to glance Xena's arm with his sword once, but it didn't take long to see that the Warrior Princess was the better fighter in close combat- -particularly when she was pissed off.

"You should have stayed out of my business!" Jett growled, swinging wide with his sword.

"You should have stayed in prison," Xena answered coolly, as she spun low to avoid the blade, then jumped up with a flying kick that sent Jett staggering back toward Autolycus. The thief couldn't resist getting in one good blow himself, with opportunity presenting itself like that. He swung Gabby's staff and slammed Jett in the side of the head with it. The assassin landed with a heavy thud on the ground moments later, knocked out cold.

"Well," Xena smirked, "that wasn't so hard."

"Hah! With you around, maybe," Autolycus replied, rubbing his side, which was smarting still from his earlier one-on-one with Jett.

"Here--" Joxer tossed Autolycus the rope he'd cut away from Gabrielle. The thief quickly went to work tying Jett's hands and feet together.

Xena ran over to check Gabrielle, who didn't seem too steady on her feet. The bard was hanging onto Joxer for balance and looked ready to pass out. "Are you all right, Gabrielle?"

"He...I think he drugged me with...something...taking a while to wear off..." she answered slowly.

Autolycus offered, "Xena, why don't you find someone to check her out, and take care of that wound on your arm while you're at it. Joxer and I can bring Jett in to the authorities. I suspect the local law enforcement won't be too happy to know they've had an escaped prisoner from Miramar running the streets during the festival."

"I'm sure you're right," Xena answered, taking the wobbly Gabrielle from Joxer and heading for the door. "Okay. We'll catch up with you later."

Autolycus looked up at Joxer after she left and said, "You don't have a problem with bringing Jett in, do you? I mean, he's family and all...if you want to just leave him here..."

Joxer shook his head, gazing down wearily at his brother. "I don't owe him anything, family or not. I don't know if prison will do him any good, or if he'll stay locked up any longer this time than the last. But after everything he's done, it's what he deserves."

* * *

The authorities were more than willing to take in the still unconscious assassin, for word had already spread from Miramar that he was on the loose and was a wanted man.

"We ain't got the manpower to spare to escort him back there 'till after the festival, but it don't look like he's gonna be too much trouble," the warden of the prison told them.

"Well, don't underestimate him--he's already caused more than enough trouble for some of us since he escaped the last time," Autolycus warned.

"Yeah yeah," the warden dismissed. "We'll keep that in mind."

Autolycus had his doubts that he would, but he wasn't about to argue the matter. The sooner he got away from institutions of the law himself, the happier he generally was. His face was plastered on enough wanted parchments across the country and he didn't like taking chances that someone might recognize him if he hung around for too long.

With Jett disposed of, a quick search for Xena and Gabrielle commenced. The two men soon found them at a healer's establishment, not far from where Jett had been hiding. Both women were doing fine--Gabrielle was still out-of-it, but resting and taking medicine that would help clear her system of remaining toxins; Xena's wound had been cleaned and dressed, and turned out not to even need any stitches. While they were there, Joxer insisted on Autolycus getting his own injuries examined, though they turned out to be nothing more than minor bruises and a few cuts that were quickly cleaned up.

"I'm going to stay here with Gabrielle tonight, to make sure she's going to be all right," Xena said. "Thanks, both of you, for watching out for her while I wasn't here."

Joxer wanted to protest that if he'd done a better job of it, Jett wouldn't have had the chance to do **anything** to her, but Autolycus spoke first. "Don't mention it; all in a day's work. Well, I think we'll be leaving you two to catch up and get some rest."

They all said their good-byes and made plans to meet the next night for the awards ceremony. The two men stepped outside, and Autolycus breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Man, has **this** been a day."

"A day and then some," Joxer agreed. "So... what now?"

"Good question." The thief turned to Joxer, and took a step closer to him. "As I recall, there was something I said I wouldn't mind doing for the rest of the day."

"Oh yeah...I think I remember something about that," Joxer answered. "But I think you'd better remind me of exactly what you had in mind."

Autolycus responded with a smile that--despite his swelling eye and other bruises--was still a sight to make Joxer feel dizzy with longing. "Remind you, huh?" the thief replied, reaching up to touch Joxer's cheek. "Well, does this ring any bells?"

The searing kiss that followed was a welcome reminder, indeed. Not necessarily of Auto's earlier wish, but of everything that had come before then, everything that made Autolycus so special to him. It washed away the bitter taste of the past few days, making the things which had haunted and worried him all that time fade away.

Autolycus pulled back slightly, watching Joxer with an expectant smile. "Yeah, that definitely rang a few...bells," Joxer told him, unable to keep a grin off his own lips.

"So, you ready to blow this joint? I've got a little something arranged I think you'll appreciate."

"What's that?"

"You'll see. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," Auto told him. "Come on, with these mobs all around town it might take us a while to get there."

Autolycus led the way then across town, keeping as brisk a pace as possible through the still thick crowds. They were nearly through the marketplace when Joxer came to a sudden halt, jerking Autolycus to a stop as well as he grabbed the thief's hand.

"Hey!"

"Hold up, I want to check something out," Joxer said as he started walking toward one merchant's cart.

"What?" the thief grumbled, not sounding happy about the diversion from his plans. Joxer ignored him as his eyes roved over the impressive array of musical instruments the vendor had on display. The quality and condition of merchandise varied, but there was one instrument that had caught Joxer's attention from afar, almost demanding that he get a closer look at it. Up close, it was even more captivating to his eyes. He carefully picked up the finely-crafted lute, finding it extremely light in his hands.

"Easy with that, buddy, that there's one of my best," the portly vendor warned Joxer.

"I can see that," he answered reverently, lightly plucking the strings. Though slightly out of tune, he could tell the quality of the sound was wonderful. He hadn't seen such fine craftsmanship in a musical instrument in a long time. "How much do you want for it?" he was quick to ask.

"Eighty dinars."

"Eighty? Are you serious?!"

"I told ya, she's one of my best. You want quality, you got to pay for it. You don't want to pay, I got cheaper models but they ain't gonna sound that sweet."

The vendor was momentarily distracted by someone trying to pay for a pair of drumsticks. Autolycus whispered to Joxer, "You want it, I'll come back later and get it for you."

"You mean, steal it."

"Well, duh!"

Joxer didn't want to steal it. He wanted to **buy** it, out of respect for the artisan who had obviously put many loving hours into its construction. "I'll give you fifty for it," he told the vendor.

"Fifty?! Don't be absurd. You know they're chargin' me fifty dinars just to park my cart here every day for this damn festival? Offer me seventy-five, and **maybe** I don't laugh your ass out of town."

"Okay...maybe it's worth sixty dinars. That's all I have," Joxer added, which was the truth.

"Seventy's my best offer, and that's only 'cause I'd rather sell 'er than lug 'er back home with the rest of this stuff at the end of this week. Come back when you can cough up the extra dinars."

 _Damn._ Sixty really **was** all the money he had- -enough and then some to buy any ordinary instrument, but one like this... Ruefully he ran his fingers over the strings once more, wondering how he'd come up with the extra money before the vendor sold the wonderful instrument to someone else...

"Here!" Autolycus shoved a hefty pouch of coins into his hands. "Take ten dinars so we can get out of here already."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I don't want to have to hear you going on and on about this thing for the next few days if you don't buy it now."

Joxer quickly counted out ten dinars from the pouch, and added it to his sixty. He felt positively giddy as he handed over the money and held onto his new instrument, waiting for the wary merchant to double-check the amount of payment.

"All right, enjoy it, fella."

"I will!" Joxer shouted back as Autolycus was already pulling him away. "Gee, thanks, Auto! Where did you get all that money anyway?" The thief usually traveled light on cash-- considering he generally stole what he needed.

"Oh, I sort of came across it," he answered distractedly.

Short moments later, a voice could be heard over the crowd, shouting, "My money! Someone just told all my money!"

"Autolycus..."

"Look, can we get a move on it already?" the thief insisted, picking up his pace and grabbing Joxer by the arm.

Joxer shook his head in dismay, but then just had to smile. There were some things about Autolycus that never changed. Joxer supposed he wouldn't have him any other way.

* * *

"You got us a room **here?"** Joxer exclaimed in surprise as a few minutes later, they approached the Egio Seaview Inn. It was only the nicest hotel in the town--in fact, one of the nicest in several surrounding towns. All of the festival's most renowned performers and its wealthiest supporters were supposedly staying here, and the place was, Joxer had heard, usually booked solid for the week of the festival over a year in advance. "How did you...?"

"The owner's an old friend of mine," Autolycus explained. "I did him a few favors a while ago, so he did one for me this time. You know I like to travel in style."

That was true, Joxer knew from experience, although he had to ask as he took in the expansive lobby of the hotel, the well-dressed guests and staff all around, "What were you planning on doing, impressing me back into your good graces?" Joxer said it mostly as a joke, but he saw the thief flinch slightly and regretted saying it soon after the words were out of his mouth.

"It's not like that, Jox. I just thought if things worked out, we should enjoy somewhere nice and all--"

"--I know, I was kidding, Auto," Joxer told him quickly. "This is great, really... especially compared to where I've been staying the past few nights."

"Didn't look like you were minding the company that much."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just that you and Gabrielle seemed to be having a good enough time together."

Joxer paused and turned around, playfully accusing, "You were jealous?"

"Me? Nah. Not really." Under Joxer's continued stare, he confessed, "Okay, kind of. But I figured I deserved as much. Guess I just wished it was me you were having a good time with, instead of me being the one you were running away from."

"I would have been having a better time with you. So no more running away from any problems," Joxer promised, "and no keeping secrets, if something's wrong. Deal?"

"Deal," Autolycus agreed, taking Joxer by the arm and heading up the stairs. "Now how about we, as they say, put this deal to bed."

A few moments later, Joxer's eyes widened in surprise as Autolycus opened the door to their room. Stepping inside, he took in the sight of the luxurious decor, the huge bed dressed in fine silk, and the large windows that opened onto a balcony overlooking the sea. "Wow...I haven't stayed somewhere this nice since...ever, I think." He shrugged off his bag and carefully put down his new lute on a chair near the door.

"Sometimes it's worth living it up, you know?" Autolycus remarked after closing the door. Stepping up behind Joxer, he enfolded him in his arms and added, "Some people are worth it...definitely worth it."

Joxer closed his eyes and leaned back against the thief, welcoming his strong embrace, the missed feeling of being this close. He could have cared less where they were; as long as Autolycus was with him, that was all that mattered. _Still,_ he had to admit as he opened his eyes and admired their surroundings once more, _this place **definitely** beats that old stable, and that bed does look comfortable..._

"I'm gonna make sure you know how much I want you here, Joxer," Auto said softly against Joxer's ear, so close the hairs of the thief's moustache tickled Joxer's skin. "You, and **only** you." Warm, heavy breath against his neck turned into warmer lips, working their way up to his earlobe, then teasingly sucking on it. The sensation left Joxer weak in the knees and thankful for the strong body behind him, keeping him on his feet when his own legs no longer seemed up for the task.

He sighed as the persistent mouth traveled back down his neck, working its magic on his sensitive skin. As much as his body craved this attention, this erotic touch, more than anything his heart and his spirit felt free again--free to enjoy the love they shared once more.

Auto's hands did not rest for a moment, instead proceeding to strip Joxer of his clothing with ease, if not speed. No, Autolycus seemed to be enjoying taking his time, slipping agile fingers through the loops and freeing the buttons of Joxer's vest, then the cuffs of his shirt. As each piece of attire fell softly to the floor, Joxer shivered with building anticipation and delight at the feel of those fingers now touching his bare skin. The thief even slid down onto his knees, to unlace Joxer's boots, urging Joxer to then step out of them. Joxer's pants and shorts were soon to join the rest of his discarded clothes, leaving him to wonder just what Autolycus had in store for him next.

"Gods, I love the way you look, the way you feel..." Auto told him, running his hands over Joxer's smooth calves and thighs. He kissed the back of Joxer's right knee unexpectedly, which caused the standing man to start giggling and nearly fall to the floor, it tickled so much.

"Auto!"

"Sorry..." the thief apologized, although he didn't sound very sincere. He slowly rose from his knees, hands tracing along Joxer's sides as he did so and leaving Joxer's skin tingling in their wake. Standing again, Autolycus turned Joxer to face him, taking a moment to appreciate his body. Joxer looked into the dark eyes when they rose to his face, surprised by the intensity of Auto's gaze. The thief spoke slowly, pausing often as he seemed to struggle with his words, "Jox...it ain't easy sometimes, for me to tell you things. Like, how glad I am we've got each other. How much you mean to me. How, sometimes...I feel like every time I see you, or hold you...it's like, I feel like I'm falling in love with you all over again. I'm just not used to saying things like that...even when I want to, and I know you deserve to hear it, and know it, the words...they get all messed up in my head and don't come out the way they should. Like right now."

"Auto, You don't have to say anything; I know," Joxer assured him.

Autolycus shook his head and insisted, "No. If you really knew, you wouldn't have doubted me. You would have known I could never want anyone...anyone but you."

Joxer didn't know what to say. It was so rare to hear Autolycus speaking so openly, and Joxer was finding it difficult to hold in his own emotions. He ended up deciding the best response was to simply pull Auto close, and kiss him with every ounce of passion and love that he could muster. His tongue ravished the welcoming mouth, meeting Auto's tongue and searching out the warm depths, then pulling back to trace over the sweet lips. He pulled the thief's bottom lip between his own and sucked heavily, until the other man moaned against him, clutching harshly at his naked body.

"Mmmmph..." Auto murmured, when Joxer finally let him come up for air some long time later. With a grin, his eyes glistening brighter than usual, Auto remarked, "Maybe I really oughtta work on this communication stuff some more, if that's the kind of response I get."

"I'm all ears, any time you want to practice..."

"I'm sure you are."

"You know, it seems like a real shame to be standing here when there's that big, comfy- looking bed right behind us," Joxer suggested, running his hand down along the other man's back.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Auto agreed, following Joxer as he walked towards the bed-- until Joxer stopped him with a firm hand to his chest.

"Get undressed first," he insisted, and added with a smile as he laid down, "slowly."

Autolycus looked at him with equal parts frustration and desire. "Slowly, huh?" the thief asked, loosening the buttons on the sleeves of his blouse.

"Mmm hmm," Joxer agreed, sprawling out lazily on the soft sheets and settling into a comfortable position that granted him the best possible view.

Autolycus rolled his eyes and asked, "Want me to do a little dance while I'm at it?"

"Just take your time. I like watching you." He couldn't help it, he simply loved watching the handsome thief strip, gradually revealing that delicious body. Joxer bit his lip to keep in a sigh as Auto's black shirt fell to the ground, revealing his tanned and well-defined chest and shoulders, the trail of dark hair that lead down to his waist.

Auto kicked off his boots and then started unlacing the front of his pants, his eyes on Joxer the whole time, watching his reactions with obvious amusement. "Slow enough for ya?" Auto asked, pausing for a moment to rub his hand over his groin. The sight was enough to make Joxer squirm; if watching Autolycus strip made him hot, watching him touch himself was enough to make him feel on fire.

"Yeah..." Joxer breathed, struggling between wanting to just watch him and aching to touch him instead. A whimper nearly escaped his throat as Auto finished unlacing the top of his pants, sliding them down his legs damnably slowly, revealing his swollen cock and firm naked thighs. _Gods, how can someone so incredible be mine?_ he wondered as he took in the breathtaking view.

As soon as the pants were kicked aside, Autolycus descended upon Joxer with a low, "Enough foolin' around," then claimed Joxer's mouth for a harsh kiss. Autolycus' body covered him, warm flesh rubbing against his own with every movement, every caress. It was such an incredible a feeling, he couldn't get enough of it. Ever. His hands ran over the smooth back, down to the firm curve of the thief's ass. Autolycus in turn ground his hips against him, pressing his cock against Joxer's in delicious friction. _Nothing could ever be better than this,_ Joxer thought dreamily, _except if there was some way to make it last forever..._

"I want you so bad..." Auto groaned. "I want to make you feel so good."

"I'm feeling real good right now."

"I know, I mean, tell me what you want. Anything," Autolycus urged, kissing his way along Joxer's neck. "Anything to make you happy."

"Mmm...well that's pretty nice," Joxer murmured, content enough to let the thief do whatever he wished.

"How about this?"

Joxer squirmed and gasped as the Auto moved down lower and flicked his tongue lightly over one nipple. Apparently satisfied by Joxer's reaction, he continued circling the sensitive flesh with his tongue, then teasing it between his teeth. The sensation was so intense--Joxer couldn't quite decide if it was intensely pleasurable or painful, but he didn't want Auto to stop.

"Nice?"

"Oh yeah!"

"And this?"

Cool fingers brushed the length of his hard, throbbing cock, while Auto continued working his way down Joxer's body. When the fingers were replaced by moist lips, sucking hungrily on him, swallowing him deeply, he clutched at the bedsheets and struggled to maintain some small degree of control. Otherwise, he was going to come in no time, and it felt **much** too good to let it be over so quickly.

"Auto..." he sighed after a time, when he knew he couldn't take it any longer, "please..."

"Please what?"

"Please...I want you...inside me," he begged, wanting to do something that would satisfy them both at the same time, wanting to feel that union of their bodies more than anything in the world.

"Well, you won't hear me refuse a request like that," Auto answered him, quickly sitting up and reaching for the small vial on the bedstand. He poured out a generous pool of oil into his hand, applying some of it to himself and then rubbing the rest over Joxer's ass. Joxer sucked in his breath as a slick finger slipped inside him, then a second, working him gently until the thief was satisfied he was ready.

Joxer cried out when Autolycus entered him moments later, but it was a cry of joy, only briefly of pain. He loved the incredible feeling of having Autolycus inside him, filling him; Auto's blissful expression as he sunk fully within him, then found that rhythm that was uniquely theirs; the pleasure as Auto hit, again and again, that spot that sent Joxer soaring to a place somewhere higher than Olympus.

"Joxer...oh gods, Joxer..." Auto groaned, until words were no longer possible, only heavy breaths and building moans.

Auto's cries were echoed by Joxer, until the younger man could take no more and he came fast and hard, shaking and struggling for breath. Not long after, he felt Autolycus shudder against him, coming with a final assault of deep thrusts and a harsh cry of his name.

"Jox, oh yeah, mmm..." Auto sighed, easing himself down and pulling Joxer against him for one more kiss. "Mmm," he practically purred against the younger man's neck, "damn but I've missed this."

"It's only been a few days, hasn't been **that** long," Joxer added teasingly.

"Feels like it. Been a long time for me, since I've been with you without feelin' guilty about...well, you know."

"Yeah. Guess so. Forget about it now," Joxer insisted, stroking Auto's soft hair, slowly coming back to down to earth. "I want to forget about Jett. I want to forget about the last few days, and go back to the way things were before."

"I hear that," Auto agreed. "I just wish sometimes...Hades, I don't know..."

"What?"

"It's...Jox, you turned the whole world upside- down on me, you know? I told myself a long time ago that I couldn't get involved with anyone...it wasn't worth all the trouble...the pain. I was perfectly happy with that...until you came along. Now...now the only pain that bothers me is what I've managed to cause you, 'cause I don't know what I'm doing with this relationship half the time."

"So? I don't think I know any better than you. And we can't be doing that bad, I mean, we made it through this situation all right, right?"

"True," Auto said. Peaceable silence settled over the room for a while, until the thief said, "Hey, so, when do I get to hear what you can do with that fancy thing over there?"

"The lute?"

"Yeah. I paid for part of it; I think that entitles me to a little entertainment."

"Right now?"

"Sure, why not? I'm curious. I mean, you looked like a guy who'd just been handed the Golden Fleece when you bought that thing, I wanna know what's so special about it."

"Okay, sure...but I'll need to fuss with the tuning."

"Whatever."

Joxer got up and took a moment to clean up a bit, using the basin of warm water and soft towels provided in the room. He then retrieved the instrument, truthfully somewhat eager to give it a real try himself. He settled on the edge of the bed to fiddle with it for a while, testing out some chords and tightening the strings until they sounded right to his ears.

"Let's see...any requests?" Joxer asked.

Autolycus shrugged, propping himself up with his hands under his pillow. "Don't know much about music myself; just play whatever you want."

Joxer thought for a while, and then an old song came to mind that seemed somehow appropriate and not too difficult for his out-of-practice fingers. He hummed along with the melody, not quite remembering the words to the simple song at first, and feeling a little self-conscious about singing them when he did. But when he looked over to see Autolycus' encouraging smile, he went for it, his voice uncertain at first but building in confidence which each verse.

"Here am I,  
Who whiles away the mornings  
Since you've gone  
Too long have I lay alone  
Not knowing which way to turn

And there you are  
Quite sure that you were right  
Knowing full well  
That I'd be the first one  
To go down

The day you left  
I think you knew you'd not be back  
Well at least it would seem that way  
Because you never said goodbye

But when it comes around to you and me  
I'm sure it will work out all right.

And you'd be the one who was laughing  
And giving me something I don't need  
And you know I'd always hold you,  
Keep you warm  
Oh, more fool me

But when it comes around to you and me  
I ask myself,  
Do I really believe  
In your love?  
Yes, I'm sure it will work out all right."

Joxer finished at that, apologizing quickly, "Well, it's been a long time since I played, that wasn't very good..."

"Hey, I'm not complaining! I'm no expert or anything but that sounded real nice to me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, compared to everything else I've been hearing around town the past few days, I'd say you're just as good as the rest of 'em out there."

"I used to be better," Joxer admitted, running through some chords and exercises absently. "It's going to take a lot of practice for me to get really good at it again."

"Well, everything takes practice. I didn't just wake up one morning and know how to pick Athenian triple-reinforced locks in under a minute, you know. Everything takes time to get right."

"I suppose," Joxer said, putting aside the lute again so he could lie down against Autolycus. "Even things like you and me."

"Yeah," Auto agreed, pulling him close, "like you and me. Think we'll ever get that right one of these days?"

"I think so," Joxer answered. "We've made it pretty far already. And there are definitely a lot of things I don't mind practicing...as often as possible, in fact."

"Oh really?" came the wry reply. "Got something in particular in mind?"

"Mm hmm. If you're up for it."

Autolycus chuckled and told him, "With you around, that's one problem I never seem to have, Jox."

* * *

"And first place in this year's Bards Competition goes to...Gabrielle of Poteidaia!"

"Whoo hoo!"

"All right, Gabby!"

"Yeah! You did it!"

The bard ran for the stage, the enthusiastic cheers of her friends and everyone else in the crowd urging her on. She was practically bouncing up and down in delight as she took the award from the announcer, putting the golden medal around her neck and joining the other winning bards and poets on stage.

"It's a good thing she's back on her feet so quickly and didn't miss this," Autolycus remarked.

"Are you kidding? I had to force her to stay in bed all night and get some rest. She wasn't going to miss the awards for anything," Xena told him.

"I'm glad everything worked out," Joxer added. "Jett's back in jail, everyone's okay, and Gabby won the competition."

"...and I take it you two have worked out your, um, problems?" Xena added with a half-smile.

Autolycus shot Joxer a look, as he quickly answered, "Um, yeah, I guess you could say that."

"That's good to hear." As soon as Xena turned her attention back to the stage, where Gabrielle was making a brief thank-you speech, Autolycus whispered harshly to Joxer, "What did you tell her?!"

"I didn't tell her anything! Gabrielle must have told her."

"Oh. Gabrielle?!...Wait a minute, what did you tell Gabrielle?!"

"Well, you know...nothing much...she just wanted to know why I was so depressed when she met up with me..."

"Oh, great. Next thing you know, our love life is gonna end up in one of her scrolls, just you wait. Hades, she'll probably enter that one in next year's competition!"

"I kind of like that idea. You and me, we'll be legendary heroes. Or, a legendary thief and minstrel, at least."

"Hmph," Autolycus answered, unconvinced but knowing it was pointless to argue about it now. "Well, I guess it's not so bad. As long as whatever she has to say about me is properly embellished..."

_End_

**Author's Note:**

> (The quoted lyrics in the part above are (c) 1973 by Genesis, from the song "More Fool Me". I absolutely suck at writing poetry/lyrics myself so I had to resort to pilfering some. :-) Oh yeah, and thanks to the Man himself, BC, for inspiration for the final punchline.


End file.
